Smog blankets the San Gabriel Valley as seen from the Covina Hills looking toward downtown Los Angeles. The landmark Wells Fargo building on Barranca Ave. at the 10 Freeway is visible in the foreground. Photo taken in late December 2005. (photo/mike mullen)
DOG ASIDE:
Smog is a type of severe air pollution….with the word “smog” being coined in the early 20th century as a blending of the words smoke and fog to refer to smoky fog, its opacity, and odor. The word was then intended to refer to what was sometimes known as pea soup fog….which is a familiar and serious problem in London from the 19th century to the mid-20th century. This kind of visible air pollution is composed of nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, ozone, smoke and other particulates. Man-made smog is derived from coal combustion emissions, vehicular emissions, industrial emissions, forest and agricultural fires and photochemical reactions of these emissions.
Photochemical smog, as found for example in Los Angeles….as seen in the video herewith….is a type of air pollution derived from vehicular emission from internal combustion engines and industrial fumes. These pollutants react in the atmosphere with sunlight to form secondary pollutants that also combine with the primary emissions to form photochemical smog. In certain other cities, such as Delhi, smog severity is often aggravated by stubble burning in neighboring agricultural areas. The atmospheric pollution levels of Los Angeles, Beijing, Delhi, Lahore, Mexico City, Tehran and other cities are often increased by an inversion that traps pollution close to the ground….as seen in the photo above. The developing smog is usually toxic to humans and can cause severe sickness, a shortened life span, or premature death.
